Terms of Reference

Review of the Draft Gully MPA Monitoring Plan

Maritimes Region Science Advisory Process

23 February, 2010
Main Auditorium, Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO)
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Chairperson: Tana Worcester

Context

The Gully is the largest marine canyon in eastern North America. Located offshore Nova Scotia near Sable Island, the Gully contains a rich diversity of marine habitats and species, including deep-sea corals and northern bottlenose whales. The area is nationally and globally acknowledged as a unique and important marine habitat. The Gully ecosystem has long been important for fishing, and more recently, the surrounding waters have witnessed growth in oil and gas exploration and development. The health of the Gully is closely linked to that of the surrounding area.

The Gully became a Marine Protected Area (MPA) under the Oceans Act in 2004. A Gully MPA Management Plan has been developed to support the Gully MPA Regulations. Within this Plan, the conservation objectives for the Gully MPA are to:

• Protect the health and integrity of the Gully ecosystem:
• Protect the natural biodiversity of the Gully
• Protect the physical structure of the Gully and its physical and chemical properties
• Maintain the productivity of the Gully ecosystem

• In addition, the following research and monitoring objectives were identified:
• Increase our understanding of the Gully and the potential for human impacts on this ecosystem.
• Foster collaboration and communication among managers and natural and social scientists.
• Provide managers with accurate and timely information on the state of the Gully ecosystem and potential threats to conservation and management objectives.

Objectives

The objectives of this meeting are:

• To provide a scientific peer review the draft Gully MPA monitoring plan, specifically to determine:
• Are the indicators, protocols, methodologies and/or work plans identified in the draft Plan appropriate to monitor the conservation objectives of the Gully MPA?
• Are any assumptions identified within the report appropriate?

Outputs

CSAS Science Advisory Report
CSAS Proceedings
CSAS Research Document

Participation

DFO Science Branch
DFO Oceans, Habitat and Species at Risk Branch
Environment Canada
Universities 
Offshore Oil & Gas Industry
Non-Government Organizations
Fishing Industry
Nova Scotia Provincial Representatives
CNSOPB
Aboriginal communities / organizations